


Coveted Arrival

by sunaddicted



Series: Nygmobblepot Week 2k18 [5]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Asexual Character, Communication, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff and Smut, Future Fic, M/M, Mild Smut, Nygmobblepot Week 2018, Platonic Cuddling, Understanding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2019-04-05 03:56:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14035653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunaddicted/pseuds/sunaddicted
Summary: It was like a marble statue coming to life: a speaking Adonis - or maybe an Apollo, beauty and brains combined together[...]





	Coveted Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> This fic can 100% be read as a standalone but it also works as the last instalment of my series "A Journey" (the coveted happy ending you all deserved for sticking with me through the previous angst-filled fics)

_Coveted Arrival_

Oswald squirmed with nerves as his eyes followed Edward's progress around the room: the careful way he folded and put his clothes away in order, so that he could shake them out wrinkle-free in the morning; how he briefly disappeared in the bathroom to shed his briefs and leave them in hands’ reach to put them back on after a shower; the precise movements with which he used the comb he had stolen from his dresser to run it through his hair, getting rid of as much product as possible so that it fell in soft waves over his scalp.  

“We don't have to do this if you don't want to” Edward stated, turning around to softly smile down at him.  

It was like a marble statue coming to life: a speaking Adonis - or maybe an Apollo, beauty and brains combined together; it had been hard, explaining to Edward that he didn't need to be aroused by his body to find it attractive, Edward aesthetically pleased him and Oswald certainly didn't look at anyone else like he looked at him “I want to try”

They had talked. After Oswald had gotten over his fit of rage and he had read the book about asexuality - surprisingly lacking the conversion therapies he had been afraid of finding in it - that Edward had brought him, Oswald had for the first time in his life actually thought about his stance on sex and tried to understand where to go from there. No matter all the scenarios he ran through his head, being involved in sex - even without penetration - repulsed him, but if he wasn't actively involved in it..

Edward had been honest with him: he had explained that to him sex was more about the connection, rather than the physical pleasure - that was what he didn't want to lose and neither did Oswald so, he had come up with a plan he thought wouldn't make him uncomfortable.

“Not today, if you're not ready” Edward murmured, cupping Oswald's cheek and running his thumb along the sharp edge of the cheekbone “Nobody is breathing down on our necks”

Maybe not, but until Oswald found a solution to their predicament - no matter how many times Edward repeated that they could just cuddle and never attempt anything even remotely close to sex ever again in their relationship, he didn't want Edward to sacrifice himself - he wouldn't rest: he was so terrified of losing Edward, always felt like he was running against time to keep his lover with him “I'm okay, just nervous”

“Alright, but if it starts not being okay..”

“I'll tell you” Oswald nodded.

“Good" Edward leaned in and softly kissed his lips, swiping his tongue across his lower lip in a lingering caress “It means a lot to me, your comfort - I explained to you why”

“I promise I'll talk” Oswald reiterated, closing the space between them to kiss the other man again; kissing was nice, now that he knew that it wouldn't necessarily be the prelude to sex - even if it got a little more intense and Edward ended up feeling aroused “Now, lay down and let's get this show on the road” Oswald encouraged in a light voice, trying to dispel a little of the tension with a trembling chuckle.  

He didn't know why he was so nervous: the plan was simple, it made sense and Edward was completely on board with it, at least on a theoretical level. In his research, Oswald had watched porn too and while it didn't do anything for him, it didn't disgust him either - except when he had accidentally stumbled upon some truly cringeworthy stuff - which meant that he could happily keep Edward company while the man pleasured himself, kissing and cuddling him so that the emotional connection they both held so dear wouldn't be lacking as his lover took care of his physical needs.

Maybe it was the idea that, despite all of their efforts, it wouldn't work.  

Maybe it was the guilt that it already was gnawing at his insides that made it impossible for him to relax.  

Maybe it was the memories of their precedent encounters, uneasiness crawling under his skin like a colony of ants.  

Edward curled on the mattress, turned to face Oswald and offered him a reassuring smile; he hoped that his plan worked out, more for Oswald's sake than his own: while he waited for his lover to call him so that they could finally try to communicate and salvage their relationship before silence ate away at it, Edward had tried to analyse his own feelings and had arrived to the conclusion that he loved Oswald way more than sex: he had two functioning hands, a great deal of imagination and could always use toys if he was feeling particularly needy - whereas there were no substitutes for Oswald's love “Ready?”

Oswald snorted “Why do you ask me? You're the one who has to do all the work”

Edward rolled his eyes “Forget about politeness, check”

The sass in the other's voice, so familiar, tore a laugh out of him and Oswald felt some of the fluttering butterflies in his stomach disperse; he wouldn't bet anything too valuable on it, but he suspected that Edward had done it on purpose to help him relax “Your courtesy has been noted” Oswald retorted and leaned in to press a kiss against Edward's lips, chaste but still full of love and gratitude “Thank you”

“Don't mention it” Edward murmured, nuzzling his partner's face, noses brushing together in an Eskimo kiss before he playfully winked at Oswald “Now stop making me laugh, I need to focus”

Admittedly, the temptation of replying with something ridiculous and hilarious was strong but Oswald stomped on it and he just reached out with one hand, quietly running his fingers through Edward's hair; it was something new, something he had only dreamed about having when their encounters had been way too rushed and they hadn't been able to talk to one another.  

The feeling of Oswald's short and trimmed nails gently scratching at his scalp sent a shiver down his spine and a pleasured sigh stuttered past his parted lips “That's nice” Edward murmured in encouragement, looking at Oswald through half-lidded eyes. He basked in the feeling a little longer, drowning himself in the warmth of Oswald's love before he started letting one of his hands wander, the other seeking his lover's to entwine their fingers together.

A swipe of his palm across his stomach, almost testing the trembling of his coiled muscles.  

The pad of a thumb brushing against a nipple,nerve-endings sending ripples of pleasure to his brain.

Small touches, barely there - just enough to stoke the simmering heat in his veins.

“You're beautiful”

Those words sent blood blooming under the skin of his cheeks, Edward could feel the sudden warmth on his face and could tell without looking in a mirror that he was blushing - quite brightly too “You don't have.. you don't have to talk to help me out”

“Last time I checked, that doesn't qualify as dirty talking”

“Still.. “

Oswald shushed Edward with a finger pressed against his lips “Stop worrying”

“You're one to talk” Edward mumbled.

“I am” Oswald grinned “If the worrywart tells you not to worry, then it must be true”

Which made sense. Edward nodded, moving Oswald's hand back to his hair in a silent request to keep going with the petting and focused once again on the physical sensations, closing his eyes to better follow the flow of his body; he was slowly getting hard, tension coiling at the base of his spine, making his thighs fall apart as he reached down with his hand to wrap it lightly around the base of his erection.  

“Do you want some lube?”

“You have lube?” Edward asked, frowning a little.  

Embarrassed, Oswald shrugged “I experimented - wasn't that all part of understanding how I feel about sex?” He asked, a little defensive: he didn't want Edward to think that he was just putting up a charade because he didn't want to have sex with him “Besides, the fact that I'm asexual doesn't mean that I don't get erections: my body works normally” and sometimes the rush of endorphins was something he needed.

Edward squeezed Oswald's hand “I know, I read it on the book”

“Yeah, me too”

“So, are you giving me any of that lube?”

Oswald threw and arm behind his back and pulled the first drawer of his bedside table to retrieve a barely used bottle of lube “Uh.. I hope this is okay” he had ordered it in internet after thorough research, too embarrassed to actually go to a store and ask for help to find one that was right for him.

Edward inspected the tube “Water-based, I approve”

“It sounded less messy”

“It is” Edward agreed and squeezed a generous dollop on his palm; it was a fancy kind of lube, one of those that warmed up almost instantly - not that he was complaining, it suited him rather nicely.

Oswald settled back next to his lover's side, closer than before, lips pressed against his temple and both of his hands placed on his body: one plastered over his heart, keeping the tempo of its quickened beats, and the other on his stomach “Okay?”

“M-more than” Edward turned his head, lips looking for Oswald's mouth as he increased the speed of his rubbing, twisting his hand at the end of every upward stroke, thumb swirling over the head; it felt so good, for the first time in weeks Edward felt his worries melt away like snow in the sun - it had been so hard, waiting for Oswald to call him back “I'm close” he admitted, panting the words against his lover's damp mouth.

“Let it go, love” Oswald encouraged “Come for me”

Hearing the other man say those words, being able to look him in the face… it only brought Edward closer to his peak until he spilled himself all over his stomach, toes curled in the vertiginously high thread-count sheets and a half-sobbed moan lodged in his throat, soothed only by Oswald's gentle caresses and loving words: he couldn't quite discern them, they washed upon his ears like a retreating wave, but it was enough for him catching the tone they were spoken in.

And then there was the way Oswald cleaned him up with a handful of tissues, tender and efficient at the same time, before he tugged the covers up to surround them in a warm cocoon.  

He couldn't really focus for a few minutes, needing to get his breath back under control and restart his brain into working order - but when he did, Edward slitted one eye open and looked at his partner, trying to discern how he felt “Success? Failure?”

Oswald smiled warmly at Edward's worry and drew him against his chest - he didn't care that the other man was way taller and bigger than him: he wanted to hold him - and shivered at the feeling of their naked bodies rubbing one against the other: Edward felt so much closer without fabric in the way “Stellar success”

“Really?” Edward rubbed his cheek against Oswald's neck, taking comfort in the embrace “By the way, brownie points for the alliteration”

Trust the other man to notice that - God, but Oswald loved him so much “Really. I liked being able to be close to you and you didn't make me feel uncomfortable in any way or pressured into joining in” he explained, bending down to bestow a kiss on Edward's hair “How about you?”

“Amazing”

“It must really have been, considering that you're not currently drowning me under a detailed essay of the experience” Oswald teased even as he tightened his grip just that little bit more, heart beating furiously at the pure joy he felt - at the relief that flooded him at the thought that maybe they really could do this, both of them happy and fulfilled.  

“Rude” Edward threw a weak punch at Oswald's arm, immediately followed by a butterfly kiss “Cuddle me”

And that was something Oswald could definitely do.

**Author's Note:**

> If you stuck with me for the whole series, THANK YOU - writing this, giving representation to this orientation and people reading it, it meant a lot to me ♡♡♡


End file.
